Is Farm-Raised Seafood Sustainable or Not? (Part 2)
Posted on | March 26, 2010 | 1 Comment
When evaluating whether a particular fish farm is sustainable or not, it is helpful to think about where the operation is located within the environment. Each location has its own set of positives and negatives. Following up on Part 1, SOP peels away the next layer to help answer the complex question of whether your farm-raised seafood is sustainable or not.
Open ocean aquaculture pen
We will start in the ocean. Usually submerged, these large open ocean aquaculture pens are used to raise cobia, snapper, and even tuna. While this is one of the more environmentally friendly farming methods, a few issues remain. Any high concentration of fish can lead to disease outbreak. To combat disease, often times antibiotics are used. Generally, adding chemicals to the natural environment is not a good thing. Escapement of farmed fish into the wild can disrupt the natural balance of the surrounding ecosystem. One somewhat positive aspect of open ocean farming is its distance from the more delicate ecosystems closer to our coastlines.
Moving toward the land, many aquaculture operations are established in near shore areas. Most farmed salmon come from these pens in coastal waters. Sustainability issues range from escapement to spread of disease and sea lice. One of the other major criticisms about farmed salmon is that it can take up to five pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of salmon. The math does not make sense when considering sustainability. For a compelling criticism, check out the video excerpt below from the movie, Farmed Salmon Exposed. On the contrary to coastal salmon pens, some near shore farms actually help the environment. In the future, SOP will report on the benefits of raising filter-feeding shellfish such as oysters and mussels.
Mangroves cut to raise fish in ponds
In many developing countries where small to large-scale operations exist, the aquaculture ponds are carved out of land along the coast. Coastal lands serve many valuable purposes such as filtering out pollution and sediment before water runs into the ocean. Coastal mangrove forests also provide critical nursery areas for many fish and wildlife species. These aquaculture ponds often get so polluted with fish waste, farmers will simply leave it behind and dig out another location leaving a trail of destruction. Shrimp and Asian ‘catfish’ are raised in these types of operations. Fortunately, this form of fish farming is being discouraged because its negative impacts are now widely understood.
Other fish farms are constructed above ground and completely landlocked. These closed systems are often touted as the most environmentally friendly way to farm many species. While these farms can produce high concentrations of waste and use large quantities of water, new technologies have changed this in recent years. Filters and carefully monitored conditions can help farmers create a completely organic and waste-free system. Moreover, the risk of escapement goes to zero for a landlocked operation. SOP will dive deeper into the closed system aquaculture world in an upcoming article.
As always, there are exceptions to everything when talking about sustainable seafood. SOP encourages you to educate yourself as much as you have time for and make informed judgments next time you buy fish. Part 3 of this series highlights specific farmed fish and shellfish that are excellent products to choose because of their sustainability.
Tags: aquaculture > closed system aquaculture > ecosystem > farm-raised > fish > habitat > mangrove > ocean > open ocean aquaculture > seafood > sustainable > tuna
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April 11th, 2010 @ 6:15 PM
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